


Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!

by Swashbuckler



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Candy, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Compare and Contrast, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Past Character Death, Tricksters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 23:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swashbuckler/pseuds/Swashbuckler
Summary: Some people would argue that the Tricksters of the Twin Cities are just like each other.Blonde. Loud. Annoying.There’s nothing in it, right?Wrong.





	Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!

Some people would argue that the Tricksters of the Twin Cities are just like each other.

Blonde. Loud. Annoying.

There’s nothing in it, right?

Wrong.

There’s a difference. 

_(What’s the difference?)_

It’s the difference between the buzz of sugar on your tongue and gum stuck under desks. 

It’s the difference between cheeks dappled with freckles and a face scattered with acne scars. Between a smile framed by dimples and a curled lip framing braces. Between how a cloud of loose golden curls tries to convey innocence against how the urban armour of gelled blonde spikes and an undercut tries to convey a threat.

_(The rattling click of a lollipop against his teeth and the bubble blown in your face both test your patience.)_

One stands cocky and aloof. The other slouches, looking bored. Both say “I don’t care.” 

_(Never trust a Trickster.)_

It’s the difference between doing a cartwheel and vaulting a fence.

_(Know when to run away.)_

One wields sock puppets full of character while the other wields hand gestures full of crudity. The buzz and toot of a kazoo versus the bass thud of a boombox. 

_(No one’s that annoying on accident.)_

One gets a slapped cheek, and the other gets a black eye. 

_(Both laugh them off.)_

It’s the difference between a complex plan, all for show, and cracking your knuckles and improvising on the spot. 

_(One’s need for approval is far more carefully concealed than the other’s.)_

It’s the difference between James and Axel. 

It’s the difference between the original and the legacy. 

It’s the difference between the Trickster and the Trickster. 

But now there’s only one left: the Trickster. 

_(Which one?_

_The one that isn't dead.)_

At the end of the day, the Trickster is the Trickster. 

And he fits the role so well that the real trick is remembering the other one at all now he’s gone. 

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a fun, aestheticy comparison of the two comics Tricksters and it turned into something _way_ more angsty than I originally intended. Whoops!


End file.
